When choosing a breast pump, it’s important to consider both your lifestyle and breastfeeding goals. With that said, automatic or electric breast pumps can be more convenient than manual breast pumps for moms who need to express more often.
Electric breast pumps can pump milk faster and require less physical effort. Some units are even outright designed as a hospital-grade breast pump. Mothers don’t generally need that extra suction power, but those who are struggling with their milk supply can benefit a lot from a medical-grade electric pump.
In most cases, a double electric pump is the practical and most efficient upgrade from a manual pump. It’s designed to allow both breasts to be expressed simultaneously and typically has various speed and suction settings that you can personalise to your liking or according to your breastfeeding goals.
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Choosing the best breast pumps
We conducted sweeping initial research to level the market and took feedback from previous reviews to narrow our list to the most efficient, cost-effective, and powerful electric breast pumps. Our testers for this period also had a lot of input on the winners of each category. Let’s have a look!
Best overall electric breast pump: Medela Pump In Style® Double Electric Pump
The Medela Pump In Style® Double Electric Breast Pump impressed both in performance and convenience. It also scored high in surveys! While it’s one of the most portable Medela breast pumps, it remains powerful in its class and is reasonable to use as a primary kit.
- Dimensions: 5.5 x 3 x 4.3 inches
- Weight: 1.2 pounds
- Pros: Hospital-grade suction power, automatic letdown and massage mode cycles, supports a standard suction cup kit and a hands-free kit, portable battery pack, closed system pump design, easy to use, and spare pump parts are easy to get.
- Cons: You have to purchase the hands-free kit separately.
The newer version of the Pump In Style® supports two setups: traditional suction cups and a hands-free pumping bra. The controls are straightforward and very easy to operate, much like most Medela products, which is why the brand remains popular with first time moms.
Perfect for boosting milk production
Pump In Style® is also a good entry level kit for those who are looking into hospital-grade pumps. Especially moms who are exclusively pumping or looking to boost milk supply production with a simple and portable double pump set. For optimum efficiency, we do recommend getting the hands-free kit.
Best affordable smart electric breast pump: Lansinoh Electric Smartpump 3.0
Lansinoh Smartpump 3.0 may not blow anyone away with its suction performance, but neither does it underwhelm. It’s a pretty solid pick and an affordable one at that! It’s also widely available, which likely helped its case as it arrived to use with significant word-of-mouth support.
- Dimensions: 11.1 x 11 x 8.1 inches
- Weight: 4.44 pounds
- Pros: Affordable kit, comes with three pumping styles, automatically tracks pumping sessions with the Lansinoh Baby app, and 8 suction power levels
- Cons: A bit noisy compared to similarly-sized electric pumps
This unit features two-phase technology and has three pumping styles that allow moms to get closer to their preferred customisation. Then, of course, you can connect the pump to the Lansinoh Baby app (via Bluetooth) for tracking your pumping sessions.
Simple smart integration
You can also control the Smartpump’s operation using the neatly labeled functions surrounding its LCD screen, so even moms who are new to smart technology will have plenty of space to accommodate the learning curve.
On that note, there were mixed feedback when it comes to the suction power of Lansinoh Smartpump 3.0. But the testers generally agree that it performs consistently better than other products in the same price point.
Best single electric breast pump: Evenflo Feeding Advanced Single-Electric Breast Pump
Single-action breast pumps are generally more affordable, but lags in efficiency. However, if you’re not in any rush, or you’re just happy to have a portable alternative, then you’ll be happy to know that Evenflo Feeding Advanced Single-Electric Breast Pump came out as the clear winner in its class among our testers.
- Dimensions: 4 x 7.88 x 9 inches
- Weight: 1.39 pounds
- Pros: Compact and portable, battery-operated (portable), best used as a secondary pump
- Cons: Single-electric, weaker pump mechanism compared to plugged units
All things considered, we generally suggest single-electric breast pumps for mothers who are combining breastfeeding and pumping, those who are upgrading from their trusty Medela manual pump, or those who are tired of open system breast pumps.
Suitable upgrade from a manual pump
Evenflo Feeding Advanced is easily among the most compact single-electric breast pumps we’ve tested, and it’s no slouch either for boosting breast milk supply. It’s a great back-up breast pump and it’s even more portable since it’s powered by three standard AA batteries.
Best wearable breast pump: Momcozy S12 Pro
Electric breast pumps comes in all shapes and sizes, but few (affordable) wearable pumps are able to match what Momcozy S12 Pro brings to the table. Our testers picked is their secondary breast pump, citing it’s beautiful, ergonomic design and efficiency. Many testers also praised its double-sealed flange design that made for an extremely comfortable fit.
- Dimensions: 4.21 x 6.14 x 7.24 inches
- Weight: 2.01 pounds
- Pros: Affordable wearable pump, quiet operation, smart display for ease of use, suction strength of up to 300 mmHg, 9 intensity levels, three expression modes
- Cons: Less discreet than other wearable breast pumps
It’s the only pump in our list that was unanimously praised for its compact design and portability, and it’s easy to see why. The award-winning design of Momcozy S12 Pro is possibly a game-changer, and there’s also a clear attempt by the manufacturer to bring the suction power closer to a medical-grade output.
Compact and portable design
If you’re exclusively pumping or a working mom, this is definitely one of the secondary or portable pumps to consider if you want to keep a steady milk production. It’s also an excellent choice when traveling with kids!
Momcozy isn’t a household breast pump brand name in most territories, but they’re doing quite well in the wearable niche thanks in no small part to the S12 Pro.
Electric breast pumps or manual breast pumps?
Moms who are exclusively pumping are definitely among those who will benefit most from electric breast pumps. It takes away a lot of the physical stress that comes with traditional pumps, and there are also hands-free options if you wish to take things a step further. Additionally, the electric pump cost is covered by most insurance policies.
If you expect yourself to be pumping on-the-go or half the time, then a double electric breast pump should be a worthy upgrade. With that said, beyond being a lifestyle choice, electric breast pumps can also aid moms who are struggling with their milk production. These units typically have more power and hospital-grade components that even lactation experts would gladly recommend.
